Concinnous Pleasure
by raven-zaniel
Summary: Sakura is getting married... so what would good old Tomoyo do? smile, nod and accept of course. And maybe grieve for her single bored life? Eriol aka business tycoon with a fetish for success... and no one could distract him from that goal or is there..?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: don't own anything…**

_**Discord tends to create an imperfect balance. –hc-**_

**Concinnous Pleasure **

**Chapter 1**

The sun rode low on the horizon. A giant semi circular blazing disc that made the afternoon sky brim with red and orange strips across the darkening landscape…

Just farther beyond, hidden behind an overgrowth of trees was the peering moon that sent a dim light across its territory. Signaling the nearing of the end of yet another day in her room. On any other time, this setting would have made it to her list of one of the most wonderful events that nature gave to human kind. The melding of the day with the night... the harmony between the two giants of the sky. She imagined herself forming the beginnings of a smile upon her lips as she gazed beyond her window sill... instead...

She sighed again…

Oh no… it wasn't a discontented sigh… as far as the human mind could imagine… this woman had everything... And by everything… Daidouji Tomoyo meant EVERYTHING…what every single person - young and old - could have wanted.

That's what she was telling herself for the past 30 minutes as she sat idly watching beyond what her eyes were seeing at the moment.

So why was she disturbed?

Hmm… it was just God ordained one person to remain lonely as part of her destiny for the rest of her PERFECT life…

Ironic, really, when every other thing would have been given to her at her beck and call but the one thing she desired most was slowly being taken away from her. She - the so-called 'Princess of Tomoeda' - had absolutely no power on this one.

She slumped on her desk and doodled on her paper… her happiness had just evaporated when on one of their disco nights, Sakura – her best friend since forever – had just said the one forbidden word in her dictionary.

MARRIAGE…

She shuddered delicately… she ground the pen she was holding until a faint hole was made on her mahogany desk.

It wasn't that she was AGAINST marriage…

God no! It was just… without Sakura to dress up and talk to and listen to her nonsensical chatter…

Life was… well... BORING!

Who knew that one single word could doom her to oblivion and start the cavalry she was experiencing inside herself. It was useless, of course. The idea of making herself suffer over such a trivial thing - her rational mind argued but rationality didn't stand a chance when your emotions were being challenged. So, she did the next best thing - feel nothing - obviously, it didn't work under the circumstances. She was too far gone in her self-absorbed battle.

She tried to count her blessings; she really, really did… but maybe just not NOW...She was allowed to wallow in self-grief once in a while, didn't she? Maybe she just wasn't the PERFECT person people gave her credit for... She was just HUMAN after all… and every human needed, had to, feel sadness once in a while…

And act on it…

Most of the time, people saw her happy façade, the one she wore every time she went to the outside world. She'd smile, laugh, encourage and blah, blah, blah... She was after all, the Daidouji Tomoyo...

The truth is…

She wasn't some happy, pleasant robot who gave everyone some automatic kind advice with just the flick of the button..She didn't HAVE an on-and-off switch on her emotions, for crying out loud. She was also capable of anger and sadness… she wasn't perfect. No one is. Perfection is just an opinion. It had never been a fact of life.

and she didn't always have a sweet tongue..._heh.. _she grimaced... her mouth hadn't said an epithet in public... but Lord knows, her mind hadn't been innocent for a long while now.

Tapping her pen, she burrowed her frown in frustration.

She knew some curses… umm… like the ones which she had unconsciously remembered for later use when the situation calls for it. ranging from plain annoying to the rather peculiarly terrifying ones. She knew but she wasn't vulgar. The relentless tapping hastened as her hand sought activity after being immobile for the past half hour. Though how come she had never used any one of them... in public... well...

Her morality couldn't stand it?… that's not right …umm… social manners didn't adapt to it?… yes, that's it..

_That's it__. What the.._.

Now she sounded like a crackpot, even to herself which was who she was mainly talking with. Which brings her to this other dilemma, talking to one's self is definitely not healthy. _iIm insane or at least, turning into one..._

_Stop it! _With a resounding snap, she noticed her pen had just cracked after the abuse it had endured. Snapping out of her trance, she blinked in surprise and took one forlorn glance at what she was holding. _Damn it! _one broken heart is enough thankyouverymuch, she didn't need another wreck. Over reacting was never good but damn it if she didn't want the rest of the world to be damned as well. She squinted her eyes and ran a palm over her face. Stress and emotional instability are gonna kill her eventually. Her face darkened at the thought.

She nibbled on the end of her destroyed pen and tried to concentrate on the documents on her desk It was some contract on the lease of some land on her property… apparently, her concentration flew out as well. Dejected, she laid her pen and closed her eyes for a second.

It wasn't important at all.

Not now at least.

She would wait another time where she would regain at least some of her concentration. For now, her mind and soul needed a rest. Not to mention, her heart in need of a repairing crew.

So she opted to place the forgotten document in her virtually empty 'to-procrastinate-things folder'

This time… she WILL procrastinate… and be LAZY… and DO nothing.. . and wallow in despair… and…

Cry herself to sleep.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

A knock on the door…

Another second later…

"Tomoyo-sama?!?"

A voice behind the door called…

"huh?!" a voice under the mattress answered.

"Tomoyo-sama?!?! Dinner is already prepared."

She rubbed her groggy sleep-muffed eyes and mumbled something like…

"uhh.. Ok, I'll be right down…"

Before she slumped her head again on the pillow and closed her sleepy eyes once again…

………………………………………………………………………………………………

A knock on the door…

A million seconds later…

"Tomoyo-sama?!?!"

_Huh!? Deja-vu…_

She thought…

"Are you all right?" this time though, the voice sounded worried.

"uhh… I'll be right…."

Wait… that didn't sound right…

_Hmm… wasn't the voice supposed to say something about dinner, prepared and something?_

_Why'd it ASK?_

_On that note, what time is it anyway?_

She reached for her alarm clock and rubbed the face of the clock... It seemed foggy… she squinted at the sudden activity her eyes were made to conduct. There wasn't supposed to be fog in her room…

She closed her eyes again and readjusted her vision…

It was DARK!

It was supposed to be 4:00 pm… it was NOT supposed to be this dark. Dim maybe.. not dark…

She glanced at the clock on her hand and tried to remember how to read the time. The squiggly little lines seemed unreadable in this light. As her eyes got used to the darkness, she slowly sat up and brought the clock closer to her eyes. The yawn that was about to go out seemed to be stuck at her throat when she recognized the number the short hand was pointing at.

_10 PM??!?_

Her eyes widened in disbelief…

_I slept THAT long?!_

_Hey! Wasn't I supposed to have a dinner meeting with the head of some corporate in England?_

_Here?!?!_

_3 hours ago!??!_

She mentally slapped herself… the man would have been long gone by now. Typical businessmen didn't have the luxury or the patience to wait for one person that long. Tomoyo slumped back down the bed and rubbed her head which had developed a sudden migraine.

_Oh God, there goes another investment down the drain._

………

Another knock on the door…

_Hey, wasn't this the part where the chapter ends and I wallow in more self despair and business failure?_

A persistent knock…

_WHY!?!? WHYY!?!?! What did I ever do to deserve this fate?_

Tomoyo moaned aloud and muttered a defeated "Yes?!?"

"umm… Daidouji-san, your guest…?" the voice sounded so unsure that she became confused as well.

"uhh… guest?" She asked baffled by that one word and commanded her rusty brain to work and process this information…

"Yes, Daidouji-san, a Mr. Hiirigazawa is still waiting downstairs for your appearance."

_Hiirigazawa?!? Where'd I hear that name? Damn brain cells __WORK!_

Her brain clicked

_Oh… Hiirigazawa… the head of Clow Coorporate… ahahaha… _she chuckled then and knocked her head.

A light bulb went on…

_That Hiirigazawa… he's just…. WHAT?!?!? _

And if her eyes weren't wide enough when she realized WHO this Hiirigazawa-san was…

This time, her eyes just went out of their sockets when she re-processed the other information handed to her… HE was still HERE…

HE's still DOWNSTAIRS…

WAITING...

_Oh Shit!?!? ­_–her vocabulary suddenly deemed it worthy to learn more epithets-

Her world seemed darker… she sank lower down her bed and once more buried her head under her pillows

_I'm DOOMED…!!_

………………………………………………………………………………………….

**// umm… pls tell me what you think.. //**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't know anything…. Wahhhh  
**

**Eyes tend to become the only things that remain true in a person. –hc-**

**Concinnous Pleasure**

**Chapter 2**

_I'm DOOMED… I'm DEAD _

_And I'm… I'm…_

"My apologies Hiirigazawa-san, there has been some unexpected circumstances that prevented me from attending our meeting… uhh.. on time."

_Calm…_

For some reason, Tomoyo's brain decided that enough was enough and that though she had hit rock-bottom hours ago, she was NOT gonna stand for this turbulence in her heart any longer.

She had a LIFE, and by God, she's gonna live it. Boredom or Loneliness not withstanding.

The man turned around with his hands on his back, cocked an elegant brow and smiled conscientiously.

_He's… He's_

"It's quite all right, Daidouji-san. Let's just say I had enough free time to accommodate a bit of delay."

_Handsome!_

Tomoyo felt a rush of heat on her face and coughed rather awkwardly but managed to sweep her hand graciously. She wordlessly offered him a seat as she called for her butler and spoke with him for a brief moment before she returned her attention to her guest.

"Hiirigazawa-san, I trust you had a pleasant dinner nevertheless?" She raised her brow in question and waited for his response.

Eriol eyed her appreciatively behind a façade of nodding and settled himself to the burgundy couch.

_Hmm… she's pretty…_

He started to think but…

_No, no… business, _

_proposal, _

_no distractions needed._

He frowned thoughtfully.

"Is something wrong? The couch not up to your taste?"

He heard her ask behind a condescending tone and he smirked. For some reason, he had made her slightly nervous perhaps?

"No, the couch is of excellent quality as I presume everything else here is as well."

He had said matter-of-factly that Tomoyo thought perhaps she had imagined the frown she saw earlier. She decided to let the matter slide and asked as she glanced at his half empty glass instead.

"More wine, Hiirigazawa-san?"

"Eriol"

He had said immediately. She cocked a brow in question.

"I'm sorry?" Tomoyo asked, now thoroughly confused.

"Call me Eriol." He paused to sip his wine then eyed her thoughtfully. " After all, if this goes well, we'll become business associates and I want my associates to be marginally comfortable in dealing with future prospects. Don't you agree?"

He was making her suck up to him. She thought. Eriol raised an inquisitive brow and sipped his wine again. A flitting frown marred her features as she saw him eyeing her disturbingly but it went as fast as it came.

"I..." she started but a twinkle in his eyes made her pause. She looked away abruptly as a blush threatened to rise. How can a man three feet away disturb her with just a gaze? She resolved to put up more barriers around her. Wasn't she supposed to be mourning and depressed? She didn't have the time for this idiotic feelings... She was supposed to be a shrewd businesswoman who had built her empire from scratch since her mother was cheated by a depraved psychopath. But here she was, blushing like some school girl at the first sight of her crush. Damn! She fisted her hands on her lap

Eriol grinned a bit mischievously. Tomoyo momentarily had her equilibrium disturbed but she regained her composure almost immediately and replied demurely.

"Of course." "Hmm.." Eriol suddenly stood up and with one fluid motion came and knelt one knee before her. Tomoyo blinked in surprise as he closed his palm over her fisted hands and opened them carefully with a slow massage. She felt her hand tingle but she didn't say a word. Audible sentences wasn't in her capabilities right now so she opted to shut up and stare at him incredulously.

He took her now open palms and kissed them briefly before laying them down on her palm. He covered it with his own for a moment to wink at her before he stood up and returned to his seat. "You're too tense." he spoke quietly but not without a hint of amusement.

Panic…

Turmoil….

She had nothing to say… She was too stunned to speak and a ferocious blush threatened to surface but she fought to beat down the heat. It wasn't easy but years of practice made it possible. She wasn't about to be swayed by that performance as she placed on an uninterested look and eyed him coolly, but she inwardly panicked. Her mind was still in a mess.

_Speak dammit…_

_Say something.. you're the host… speak…. Brain…talk… I beg of you…._

Then, she remembered.

_The proposal…_

_He had a proposal remember?_

Relieved that she had a topic on hand, she smiled politely albeit lacking emotion. He was eyeing her quizzically. More wine had arrived and he was holding it elegantly by the stem.

_Now, when did she ask for it again?_

He sipped. She gulped.

_Ok! Get a grip… the topic, the proposal… _

"Hiiri-- ?"

"Eriol, Tomoyo-san? I can call you Tomoyo can I not?" he interrupted before she even finished a word. He spoke calmly but she noticed another twinge of amusement in it. Darn it, what was so amusing anyway? she thought, fuming.

_Dammit! _

Her vocabulary HAD turned into a myriad of inappropriate words…

_Shit!_

Quite elaborately if not repetitive, if she had a say on the matter.

"Hiiri-"

She stopped herself in time… before he noticed.

_Eriol_

_Eriol_

_You're supposed to call him Eriol. _

_Has a nice ring… STOP!_

She sighed a little wondering how in the world, did that man manage to get her senses so muddled. She never had this kind of trouble with associates before. There had been so many men equally or more powerful than he. Some men had even been more handsome than he but they never managed to get under her skin so annoyingly. T_he proposal Tomoyo... _she reminded herself as she watched Eriol watching her. She stifled a gasp. _when did he...? _She gave herself another mental shake and spoke fervently.

"Eriol-san, about the proposal…"

She started and turned to glance his way...Now when had she turned away anyway? And did she saw him start?

He did looked a bit startled but his gentleman's smile came to place almost immediately.

"Aah yes, the proposal…"

He had thought that Daidouji Tomoyo was an old maid. Hard-handed and wrinkled with age. This Daidouji Tomoyo in front of him was anything but. He had prepared himself for cold indifference and a matter-of-fact kind of person. He certainly hadn't bargained for this calm, elegantly-clad, soft-spoken beautiful YOUNG woman speaking to him.

_Damn it!_

_If this ain't distracting, I don't know what is._

He had to hold his emotions in check. He knew.

He should.

He must.

_I need this proposal to be accepted._

He had to. It was the only way he knew how. The only way he would be able to keep his promise. And the only way he could curb this morose feeling in him. Daidouji Tomoyo is only a means to an end. He thought gloomily but for some reason he felt melancholic about it. _There is no other way_. He knew. He set his lips in a grim line and his face darkened.

When Tomoyo saw him earlier, he had an aura of calm sincerity. When the proposal was being explained, he became an emotionless businessman, cool and calculated. She found that she didn't like this sudden change.

Not that she LIKED him…

_Me? Like Eriol? Like a guy like that? _

_Like anyone for that matter like that?_

The idea was preposterous and if she could have laughed, she would have hollered. Instead, she screwed her face into a mass of concentration and read the proposal being handed to her.

"In effect Tomoyo-san, half of your share in the Daidouji Conglomerate here in Japan would essentially become mine in exchange with half my share of the Clow Corporation."

Eriol finished satisfactorily and leaned on the couch to let the idea sink in to the woman opposite him. To an ordinary bystander, Eriol would have looked like a man just enjoying his afternoon tea but when one looked closely, his jaw was set, his eyes were dark with determination and his body projected a tightly coiled spring knotted in tension. His sudden change in demeanor did not go unnoticed by his only audience. Tomoyo tensed as well.

"I understand that part Eriol-san…"

She started a bit apprehensively…

"what I don't understand is .. why?"

Eriol cocked another brow waiting...She continued listlessly…

"my half of the share doesn't even compare to your half in the Clow Co…"

This time, she eyed him distrustfully… like a prey watching its predator warily wondering when and where it would strike. Business proposals were always like that. A game long played by nature. Deceive or be deceived. It was this that forever condemned businessmen to a life of distrust.

"Why Eriol-san?"

He clasped his hand and nodded understandingly. He had prepared for this question and he had the perfect answer.

"Tomoyo-san, there are some things I want to recover here in Japan. And I need the power of your expansive telecommunication devices without inconveniencing you or your acclaimed group of scientists."

He leaned forward to emphasize a point. Making sure to capture her eye in his. Eye contact was essential in making a person believe, just as how hypnosis was almost always using the eye as its gateway so it is in faith as well.

"What I'm trying to say is that; by making this exchange I'll have enough authority on these… technologies and other such… here in this country without imposing on your good-will and influence…"

He paused thoughtfully and looked at Tomoyo for her reaction. "In exchange, you'll have as much in England and possibly more…"

He left the sentence to be finished with whatever she deemed appropriate and waited for her consensus.

She eyed him suspiciously albeit disbelievingly. She still did not understand why'd HE make such an incredulous exchange. Especially.. with a stranger.. Because that's what they are at the moment…

Strangers.

She reasoned…

She had leafed through the proposal. Read it and then reread it. She hadn't found anything that would make her at a disadvantage in this exchange. She was known to be very meticulous in exchanges. She would rather trust her own judgment than what any lawyer told her. She was better than most and she had proved it countless of times in the past. But she couldn't find anything... not yet...

And that's why she was suspicious.

She was no ignorant bystander. He had to have something up his sleeves. He had to… she just didn't know WHAT. It gnawed on her brain. Mocking her senses and the belief in her abilities. She eyed him closely looking for deceit, lust for power, lies… anything…

She usually was a good judge of character.

She could tell nastiness disguised from sincere truthfulness.

She eyed him again…

and looked totally and utterly confused

What she saw in him was…

A devoid expressionless blank…

She looked a bit dazed….

And terrified…

Eriol Hiirigazawa…

This was one man…

She couldn't READ.

**// Nothing I could say //**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I really, really don't own anything. **

**The 'real life' tends to become harder every time you think it became easier. –hc-**

**Concinnous Pleasure**

**Chapter 3**

"No."

"Excuse me?"

Eriol asked in surprise. He had prepared himself to wait for a week, a month or something. He hadn't prepared for outright denial.

_What the..?_

"I'm sorry Hiirigazawa-san."

_Hiirigaza-san? _

Eriol raised his brow in disbelief. A feeling of cold dread washed over him.

"Why?"

It was an inaudible gasp but obviously, Tomoyo had heard him since she was already explaining her reasons before Eriol's brain caught up to her words.

"… It is rather unfortunate Hiirigazawa-san but I have no interest as of yet in acquiring any advantage in England. And in that line, I do not wish, as of yet, to relinquish any control on the Family Conglomerate…"

She was going on and on... but Eriol was stuck on the words…

_No interest in England... oh really?? .. we'll see..._

Eriol mentally released a sigh of relief and a smirk appeared on his face. He leaned back and was visibly more relaxed than he had been for the past hour. He idly listened to Tomoyo's ongoing 'explanation' and gazed at her in amazement.

_The shrewd wench… she thought she could..._

Eriol smiled slyly. He had to hand it to her though... she was the first person who actually made him sweat in a meeting such as this.

_an excellent actress… but … I'll make you eat your words._

When he had noted that she was looking at him with a slightly confused wrinkle in her brow, he conceded. This is the perfect time for a rebuttal. He flicked non-existent dirt on his ironed black suit and looked at her with apathy.

"I see…" he paused thoughtfully then gave her a sad smile. She wasn't the only actress in this play. If he wanted this proposal without a hitch, he would have to dance to her tune this time. But not for long.

"I had thought that because of the number of ongoing projects your company is currently doing in my country..."

He saw her flinch a little... his smirk widened.

"... you would jump at the chance of acquiring a very REASONABLE amount of authority in England to minimize petty nuisance. Hmm…?"

He raised a brow never looking away from Tomoyo's face which was at the moment, a field of changing emotions.

He had first seen shock in her incredulous face, then confusion after which came a dawning realization, embarrassment, anger, defeat and finally, determination.

He had to congratulate her efforts in masking her emotions though, he had to admit, they weren't easy to spot but so had been other influential businessmen's. He had lots of practice from the past, she was no different.

"You spied on my activities." It wasn't a question, but an accusing statement.

His next words were laced with gentle rebuke. "Of course not, Tomoyo-san. I wouldn't stoop so low."

He gave a light chuckle. Tomoyo glared at him some more.

"I had a very reliable source."

Tomoyo's eyes narrowed in arousing suspicion. Eriol found that he loved teasing her but reminded himself that this was a negotiation tactic and not for his amusement.

"Who?" Tomoyo hissed.

Good manners be damned. This guy was infuriating and Tomoyo was very, very displeased.

"Kinomoto-san" Eriol replied to the one-worded question nonchalantly.

_Kinomoto? Sakura?_

_Surely not, Sakura didn't care a fig about business stuff…_

_Uncle wouldn't pry on her activities as well…_

_That left…_

"Touya?" she asked in wide disbelief.

She hadn't thought that Touya would blabber on about...

she closed her eyes for the moment and imagined her throttling Touya for blabbering on about her CONFIDENTIAL dealings. She decided then and there that Touya was definitely going to DIE by her hands. She would have fumed some more but she had other matters to deal with at the moment. Namely a 'Hiirigazawa Eriol' to be exact.

_Obviously, I thought wrong..._

She bit back a grimace.. Eriol nodded gravely and tried not to shout in glee.

_I've got this proposition in the bag._

His eyes gleamed with victory while he heard her sigh.

"So, you and Touya-san are…?"

"We're acquaintances from way back. I just… happened… to talk to him when I arrived in Japan about some… probable candidates for my proposition…"

"And he 'happened' to name me."

She finished sarcastically.

"Yes."

He said seriously with the same twinkle in his eyes as before. She sighed yet again.

After some seconds of uncomfortable silence, Eriol asked.

"So, does it mean you would reconsider my proposal?"

After a moments heart beat, a tentative "Yes…" was heard.

He waited…

"Yes, as in 'yes, I accept the proposal' or.." He asked cautiously but not without mock sarcasm.

Tomoyo rolled her eyes. She glared at him again before replying with a dejected sigh.

"No. I mean yes, I would RECONSIDER." She didn't really have a choice... after all, even though she wanted very much to damn Touya to the flaming pits of hell, she still owed him a great deal. Him and the whole Kinomoto household.

"Oh, I see… of course, please reconsider."

Eriol said slightly disappointed but nonetheless…

"Is it presumptuous of me to hope for an agreeable answer?"

He persisted while slowly standing up and holding out his hand. This was as far as he would get with Tomoyo for now.

Tomoyo stood up as well and grasp his hand for a shake.

"To presume, Eriol-san, is a very bad habit in doing negotiations."

She cocked her brow and bent her head slightly. This time, Eriol laughed out loud.

_Eriol…she called me by name again… that's a good sign_

Eriol thought and shook his head in amusement.

"True… true… pardon my choice of words Tomoyo-san." He said still chuckling. He stood a good chance in this deal. A very good chance...

"Well then…" Tomoyo began, unsure of how he would react. The man was unpredictable. At the beginning, he was a cool enigma, a calm gentleman but a very distant one, then he became a calculating businessman with a no-nonsense act. Right now though, he was laughing with her as if they had known each other since forever. She just couldn't figure him out. She shook her head to clear it.

"Well, 'I'll be hoping for a favorable response' would be more appropriate for this, isn't it?" He winked at her enthusiastically and grinned.

"Yes, that would be more adequate." She couldn't help but smile a bit as well. His laughter was so infectious.

He still held her hand.

"Umm…"

Tomoyo looked shyly at their still entwined hands and coughed.

Eriol quickly withdrew his offending limb and looked away for a second. He mentally cleared himself.

"I'll be seeing you in the near future then, Tomoyo-san." awkwardly looking past her.

"Yes, until next time Eriol-san."

She mumbled and gave him a polite smile. She gestured a nod to her butler to show Eriol to the exit and they bowed in respect.

Eriol strode out with a lighter step than before when he entered the room. As he approached his car, he allowed himself a light grin.

_A job well done! Wait till Touya hears this…_

And drove out of the Daidouji's expansive courtyard.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**// I wanted to have a longer chapter but I didn't want to put another scene after the 'negotiations' .. hehehe…//**

**Oohh thank you Sakura Panda63… you just made my day…**


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